2016 Kia Optima Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award

The new Optima earns top marks from IIHS

25 March, 2016Megan Stewart writer

25 March, 2016Megan Stewart writer

The new Optima earns top marks from IIHS

The redesigned 2016 Kia Optima joins the ranks of midsize cars that have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick+ award. The new Optima benefits from sharing a platform with the Hyundai Sonata, which also earned top marks from the IIHS.

To earn the Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle not only has to earn “good” ratings in all tests, including the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests, it needs to have an available front crash protection system and earn an advanced or superior rating.

The 2015 Kia Optima didn’t offer front crash prevention, which took it out of consideration for the top award. However, the new model offers it and was able to avoid collisions at both 12 mph and 25 mph. Last year, the Optima also only earned an “acceptable” rating on the small overlap test, which further hindered its performance.